MLB WINTER MEETINGS

December 4, 2023

Mark Kotsay

Oakland Athletics

Press Conference

Q. We haven't had a chance to talk to you since the club decided to pick up your option for 2025. I wanted to kind of ask what that meant for you to get that vote of confidence?

MARK KOTSAY: Yeah, obviously it's been a fun offseason so far in terms of having the opportunity to extend my contract and have my option picked up. Really excited about kind of the future here. Being a part of this organization for as long as I have, the loyalty that this organization has and has shown in a lot of ways for us as a staff, we've got a lot of continuity here.

There's a lot of history here with Billy and with David and with Dan Feinstein. I think it's a great opportunity for myself to continue forward and have this future here to get things turned around.

Q. What makes you excited about the future?

MARK KOTSAY: If we start with names, obviously there's some young talented players here that we're going to have a chance to really mold and really teach and grow with.

We talk about the word "teach" a lot, and that's something that's really important for us going forward. We did that a lot this year. We had obviously a really rough start to a season, and as a coaching staff we had a choice to kind of put our heads down and grind through it or lift our chins and teach these kids how to play. And I think we did that as a staff.

We helped turn the season around from what could have been a historically bad season to a bad season, right, to be honest, to take accountability for it. But the growth that we showed through August, September with players like Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler coming to our roster, Tyler Soderstrom, along with the younger players that were there to start, there's a nucleus here that we think we can build something with and that we're excited about.

Q. There have been some coaching staff changes. I think Dan Hubbs and Bobby Crosby, what did those guys kind of bring to your coaching staff?

MARK KOTSAY: So Bobby joins us. Bobby and I were teammates. It was the rookie year for Bobby when he joined myself and players like Jason Kendall and Eric Chavez. So exciting to have him on board. Bobby is cut from the same cloth that I think I am in terms of the grinding mentality, what it means to be an Oakland Athletic. I think his relationships with the younger players that he developed in Double-A as manager there will help and be impactful for our young guys.

In terms of Dan Hubbs, I thought Dan did an unbelievable job this year throughout the Minor League system with building relationships with young pitchers, combining both the coaching aspect from a subjective standpoint and also an objective standpoint in utilizing data, utilizing the biomechanics side, incorporating that in his teaching.

I think it's a great complement for Scott Emerson, our pitching coach, and excited about their relationship and what they're going to be able to do with these young pitchers.

Q. Stephen Vogt, I'm curious, what advice you have for him as a first year manager?

MARK KOTSAY: It happens fast. I think surround yourself with quality people, people that are smarter than you, and obviously have an open mind, which I know Stephen does. Stephen and I have talked last year when he was with Seattle. He's a curious person, and I think that's a great quality for a manager to be curious, to ask a lot of questions, and I know he's already done that.

Just in listening to what he's talked about from going through his interview process to utilizing Terry Francona as a mentor, which I as well am a big fan of. I think Stephen is going to do great.

Q. Will it change anything for you the fact that the move to Vegas has been approved already? We talked last year about (indiscernible).

MARK KOTSAY: It doesn't really change anything. My focus obviously is on the 2024 season and 2025 and building a culture here that is going to be one that I think people are proud of, that people want to be engaged with.

There's a lot of young players, exciting players on our roster to focus on, so we're going to focus on ourselves and playing the game of baseball and allow the people that make those decision in terms of our future in Vegas to make those decisions.

At the end of the day, we want to hit the ground running next year, be prepared for a season, and win as many games as possible really.

Q. I assume that you guys do have to fill in some roster spots with some free agents. What's your sort of message to free agents coming into a situation (indiscernible)?

MARK KOTSAY: I think there's opportunity for a free agent to come in and have an impact immediately. I think there is an opportunity for any free agents especially pitching to come in here to mentor, but also have an opportunity to in one year possibly build a résumé going forward.

There's opportunity here to put yourself back on the map if you have had a down year or coming off an injured season to go out and earn that chance to put up numbers really. If I was a free agent pitcher and I was looking at a team that I felt gave me the best opportunity for success, Oakland would be that. Really. The ballpark is a great ballpark to pitch in. We're young. We're going to be athletic.

There's room for improvement obviously in all aspects of our ball club, but really on the mound, if there was one area I would say free agents should really look into our club, it would be pitching.

Q. How much do you know about Yamamoto?

MARK KOTSAY: I think what he has accomplished in Japan obviously speaks for itself and whatever ball club is going to be able to land him is going to be very fortunate to have him. I look forward to competing against him when and if that day comes.

Q. Are you guys doing some research on Matsui from Japan?

MARK KOTSAY: Most likely not. That's probably a question for our general manager, but I would probably say he's out of our price range right now in terms of identifying free agents that our organization can go forward with.

It would be great to be able to entertain him and bring him in, but realistically it's probably not an option for us right now.

Q. To fill the veteran positions, player roles (indiscernible)?

MARK KOTSAY: That's an interesting question because right now I think right now the only veteran on our roster is Aledmys Diaz with more than three years of experience. It's important, but I do feel like I saw a young group come together in August and September, Gelof, Allen, Langeliers, Ruiz, and they identified that the things that are necessary to have success at the Major League level.

Those younger guys, Soderstrom, Butler, Bieday, I think they realized as well, it's going to take a group to come together and do things with a conviction on a daily basis. Not just to show up and play the game, but that there's other assets and processes that really impact wins and losses and that we can take value from in our day.

I think that's what we're going to focus on this year, and I think it was built in August and September with this younger core. So bringing in the right veteran would help that. If and when that time comes and we make that move, we definitely have to make sure he's the right guy to come into this group and help lead them.

Q. You guys have brought in a couple of pieces so far, Andujar, Toro. Where do you see them fitting in right now?

MARK KOTSAY: I think from Andujar's perspective probably in the outfield competing for a job. Brent Rooker is out there. Seth Brown is out there. Like I talked about, we have Butler, Bieday, Ruiz.

He's going to have to win his spot, but excited about the opportunity to kind of bring him in and see what he is capable of doing. He's had some years that we were excited about, and last season I think he had some injury, which impacted his season.

In terms of Toro, versatile player. He is one of those veteran guys that's been on some winning teams. I don't know him personally. We've had a couple of conversations. He's open to playing anywhere and everywhere. The switch hitting aspect, we haven't had many switch hitters in our lineup over the last few seasons. Jed Lowrie was one.

It obviously gives me the opportunity to have some flexibility in utilizing him in the lineup on a daily basis really.

Q. What does Ruiz need to do to take that next step?

MARK KOTSAY: We've been doing some studies on Esty, and I think the biggest thing, we can clean his mechanics up offensively. I think we can open up some more power for him and some bat speed. We're excited about that.

It obviously takes a player to engage and want to make those changes, but I think he does want to make those changes. It's going to be a process that he has to go through, but we've identified offensively the things that we feel can open him up and make him even more of an impact player.

He's impactful when he gets on base, but our goal is to increase that and to provide some power behind that swing as well.

Q. How would you describe his impact when he is on base?

MARK KOTSAY: Incredible. I played with Ricky in 2001, and Ricky could steal a base when he wanted to. Esty can steal a base when he wants to. It's a tool that is exciting for fans, which I know Major League Baseball wants to bring back, and it's an exciting tool for our team.

If you have an opportunity for him to get on base and score with just one hit -- if he can steal second and steal third or even get a sac fly and have a run scored, it's a great tool to have, and it's one that as I said, can change a game.

Q. On the pitching side, I know with a lot of young guys got a chance towards the end of the year and late starts, but do you see maybe a need there for a veteran guy to possibly come in and maybe help out?

MARK KOTSAY: I do. I would like that. But if it doesn't happen, I'm still excited about the guys we have. Paul Blackburn has grown a lot. Went through injuries this year that kind of took away from his ability to make those 30 starts, but I do feel like he can still be a veteran that leads these young guys.

The excitement behind the young guys, Estes and Boyle, to name two of them that made only, what, three starts, I think, in September, there should be some momentum behind those young guys. And what Boyle was able to accomplish in his starts, that's exciting. We can bottle that up and get 25-plus starts from him next year, I would be really excited about that.

JP Sears, what he did this year in accomplishing the 32 starts and the durability, taking the ball every fifth day, there's a lot of positive things to talk about. I know that the year wasn't positive, but if we just try to extract the small victories -- and I think those are some of the small victories -- and build off those, we can really create a culture to believe that we can get something done this year.

Q. Ramon Hernandez just landed a job as manager in Venezuela. What kind of role do you see him playing in shaping player development and the pitching corps as well?

MARK KOTSAY: Ramon has been great. Ramon and I were actually traded for each other, so we laugh a lot about that. But having him on the staff last year and letting him kind of feel his way through what he was interested in and what he wanted to engage in allowed him the freedom to just go, whether it was hitting, pitching, whether it was catching. You could see him kind of be attracted more towards the pitching side, which was great, and the catching side and game-calling.

He was really helpful with Scott Emerson last season, and I can only see that role growing a little bit going forward. There was some thought about putting Ramon in the bullpen as the bullpen coach, and Ramon and I discussed that, but he still feels like he can provide value throughout the coaching staff in all aspects in every area. So we're going to allow him to kind of continue that and continue to grow.

I think at some point Ramon will say, hey, I want to go this direction. So to have him managing down there in Venezuela, to be a part of that group, couldn't be more excited for him. The passion that he shows every day, the positive nature that he has, it's really infectious amongst the staff. Just lucky to have him really.

Q. You talked about Jim Leyland and how much he meant to you. Just got elected to the Hall of Fame. What was your reaction to that?

MARK KOTSAY: So I couldn't be probably more proud or -- just to have played for Jim, the impact that he left on me as a rookie to this day, the grinding blue collar mentality. My image of Jim Leyland is sliding shorts and a cigarette at his desk entertaining the media with no shirt on.

Then the best, I would say, undressing of a ball club that I've ever been a part of or ever heard came from Jim Leyland my rookie year in the old Astro Dome. It was Hall of Fame.

For him to be Hall of Fame, it doesn't surprise me, and it's well-earned and couldn't be happier for Jim really.

Q. Have you had a chance to reach out to him yet?

MARK KOTSAY: I haven't. I was going to let the probably thousand text messages that he is getting go by. When I interviewed for Detroit, Jim came and picked me up from the hotel. We had a great conversation in the car ride, the care and the passion that he has for the game.

But the relationship that we built in a limited amount of time, because I had only played for Jim in 17 games in '97 and then all of '98, and the '98 season was one like we just went through and experienced in Oakland this season. But he never wavered. Yet, in that limited year and 17 days, we built a bond that lasted until obviously the current day and will last forever.

Like I said, he's Hall of Fame in every way.

Q. In your roles in 2023, aside from everything you have done, you are also a team spokesman about Vegas and relocation. Did that wear on you, or do you look forward to that again? The owner and the president must be off limits, so it was left on you to be the spokesman about all the stuff going on.

MARK KOTSAY: So how did I --

Q. Are you okay with being that guy again?

MARK KOTSAY: I'm okay with sitting where I'm at in terms of in front of the media on a daily basis, which every manager has to go through. It's fair to be able to be asked these questions in my role and leadership. I'm a part of this process. I don't always have the answers for you that you want, but I'll give you the truth when I have it. This season was challenging. Not just for myself or my staff, but for the players. I don't see that changing.

We've been through it, though. So we have an expectation level now of what we're stepping into. And the reality is, like I said, I don't think it's going to change, but I think our players understand now how to handle it and deal with it, as do I. And I don't think it's going to stop in terms of the questioning and going to Vegas and the timing of Vegas and how we feel about the relocation process.

You know, what we focus on a daily basis is always how I approach those questions, and that's what we have control over. I don't have any control over those processes, but what I do have control over is our roster in terms of how we go out and perform, and that's really what I focus on.

Q. You're going to have young players. Looks like you will play in Las Vegas at some point.

MARK KOTSAY: Let's hope that, right, because that means that we've had success, we've won, and we're going to go forward. Hopefully there's a long-term future with those young players that we can talk about at some point. We can't do it now, but what I'm excited about is the talent level that we have on the current roster and teaching them and molding them and building this culture that I saw being built in '17 with that group, with Bob Melvin and being a part of that coaching staff, watching the growth of Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Chad Pinder, who, by the way, is here and looks great, which I'm really jealous of because he looks better than I do.

But that being said, that's kind of what we're excited about. I think for me, like you talked about, these young talented players and building them for that opportunity to get into that ballpark.

Q. When you heard the 30-0 vote in Arlington, were you happy or sad?

MARK KOTSAY: I think sad for the community of Oakland. Sad for not just the fan base, but also for the employee base that's had a long history here in Oakland. Yet, it's still down the road; right? It's still in 2028, so there's no guarantee.

But at that point you feel for those that are impacted and their lives will be impacted if they don't make that move to Vegas.